


Hesitate

by crazychipmunk



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 402, Angst, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Haikyuu!! Manga Spoilers, M/M, Olympics, Past Relationship(s), Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:35:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25385404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazychipmunk/pseuds/crazychipmunk
Summary: “I’m staying in Argentina.”“But we agreed to go back to Japan together.”“I still haven’t done enough.”
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 40
Kudos: 204





	Hesitate

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-national long-distance relationships don't work out.

“She must be very beautiful,” Iwaizumi said, gesturing at the ring on Oikawa’s finger. Oikawa shifted uncomfortably in his seat, nervously folding his hands.

“Yes, she is,” he began hesitantly, “She’s actually here to watch if you want to…”

“No thank you,” Iwaizumi replied, cutting Oikawa off, absentmindedly taking a sip of his coffee. Athletes from all around the world passed by outside the window, proudly sporting their country’s colors. Americans in gaudy red, white, and blue. Russians in curly red swirls. But of course, the most common uniform in the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Village was the black Team Japan jacket. The very jacket Iwaizumi wore as he sat in the busy café, across from the man who he thought would be his partner for life. Oikawa was not wearing black. Instead, his jacket was sky blue.

 _His flag also has a rising sun_ , Iwaizumi thought, as the eyes on the Argentinian flag’s sun stared back at him from Oikawa’s chest. Mocking him. Leave it to Oikawa to find Japan’s simple red sun too boring and instead find a flag with a golden sun so gaudy that it literally had a face on it.

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa said, trying again.

“Hmm.” 

“I’m really proud of you,” Oikawa started. Iwaizumi wasn’t looking at him, but Oikawa detected a slight furrow in his brow, so Oikawa continued, “It’s a big responsibility, being the trainer for the entire Japanese national team. Even Ushiwaka has to listen to you.”

“I didn’t do it for him,” Iwaizumi said, finally shifting his gaze from the window, “I did it for you.”

Iwaizumi stared impassively into Oikawa’s eyes, as if he had just made a remark about the weather.

“Are you my mother, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa asked, chuckling nervously at the old joke. Back in high school, Iwaizumi would have shot Oikawa a deadly look, probably thrown in a vulgar pun on Oikawa’s name for good measure. But now, Iwaizumi just stared at him, his gaze shifting briefly down to Oikawa’s left hand before snapping back up.

“You know that’s not why.”

* * *

“Iwa-chan!”

Iwaizumi squinted in the California sun. It was unnecessary. He would’ve recognized that voice anywhere.

“Is that Trashykawa?” one of Iwaizumi’s friends asked, using her graduation cap to shield her eyes from the blinding sunlight, “Ooh, he’s as handsome as you said he was.”

“Don’t let him hear that, his ego will fly him all the way back to Argentina,” Iwaizumi replied, though he had a fond smile on his face. Iwaizumi’s friends laughed before leaving to take pictures with their diplomas. Just in time too because Iwaizumi probably would have died of embarrassment if his cool American college friends saw a Liga Argentina de Voleibol- Series A1 setter tackle him like an overgrown puppy.

“Congratulations on your graduation Iwa-chan. Maybe you have a brain after all!”

“Get off me Trashykawa, you’re heavy.”

“Mean Iwa-chan! After all the trouble I went through to come to your graduation.”

“You didn’t have to come,” Iwaizumi mumbled, but secretly, he was incredibly thankful that Oikawa had taken time off to come watch him graduate. The trip was too far for his parents and he had dreaded being alone amongst his friends and their smiling families at graduation.

“How’s your knee?” Iwaizumi asked, having finally extracted himself from Oikawa’s death grip.

“It’s perfectly perfect,” Oikawa replied, positively twinkling, “All thanks to Iwa-chan’s careful care.”

“Don’t let the CA San Juan trainers hear that,” Iwaizumi said, “They might just break your leg knowing you listened to a college undergrad over their professional opinion.”

“They don’t know me like you do,” Oikawa said, suddenly serious.

The mood had shifted. The throng of graduates outside of the Bren Center faded away and suddenly it was just the two of them. Like it had always been.

“Tohru,” Iwaizumi said, taking Oikawa’s hand. “Let’s go home. I can take care of you now.”

* * *

“How’s your knee?” Iwaizumi asked. Oikawa let out a sigh of relief at the familiar question.

“Doing reconnaissance on the opposing teams even before the Opening Ceremony, Iwa-chan? I don’t think that’s in the Olympic spirit,” Oikawa teased.

“At least I have more spirit than a traitor like you,” Iwaizumi snapped, eyes flashing angrily to the Argentinian flag on Oikawa’s jacket. Oikawa looked like he had just been slapped and Iwaizumi softened. “Sorry, that was harsh.”

“It’s alright Iwa-chan. I don’t expect you to forgive me.”

“Your knee is hurting again,” Iwaizumi said. Oikawa opened his mouth to respond but Iwaizumi didn’t give him the chance. “Don’t try to deny it. You can swallow the pain and fool the trainers at your club and the trainers on the national team. You can even fool that beautiful woman you married for all I know. But you can’t fool me Oikawa. I know when you’re in pain. I can feel it.”

Oikawa and Iwaizumi sat there silently; eyes boring into each other. Finally, Oikawa was the one to blink first. “It’s the Olympics,” he mumbled quietly, “And it’s in Japan. I’ll never get a better chance to beat Tobio-chan and Shorty and Ushiwaka for all the world to see.”

“This could be your last tournament.”

A painfully fake smile broke across Oikawa’s face, “You and I both know it won’t be. You said it yourself Iwa-chan, that night we lost to Karasuno. Regardless of whatever tournament I win, I’ll live chasing volleyball my entire life without being perfectly content, because I’m a real troublesome guy.”

Iwaizumi responded to Oikawa’s plastic grin with a vaguely wistful smile, “When I was younger, I hoped something would happen to you in Argentina. A serious injury, not a permanent one, but one serious enough to knock you out for a while. Enough to bring you back home.” Oikawa looked shocked at the confession. Iwaizumi averted his gaze. “Sorry, not in the Olympic spirit.”

“I could still come back, Iwa-chan. I’m here now, aren’t I?”

Iwaizamu turned back to Oikawa, an incredulous look on his face, the kind he used to wear in high school right before pelting a volleyball straight at Oikawa’s face while yelling expletives. How long had it been since he last saw that face? It was so familiar Oikawa felt tears pricking his eyes. But unlike in high school, Iwaizumi didn’t come up with some comically exaggerated insults. Instead he just laughed coldly, almost maniacally and Oikawa felt the tears threatening to spill over.

“Iwa-chan, quiet down, people are starting to stare.”

“Why do you still call me that, Tohru?” Iwaizumi asked, voice dripping in sarcasm. Oikawa jerked at the sound of his given name said in such a harsh tone, “That’s what people call you now, isn’t it, in Argentina? They don’t use last names or honorifics like we do. Just call me Hajime, everyone in California did. That’s what foreigners call me.”

“Hajime, please,” Oikawa started, but he couldn’t continue. Iwaizumi’s given name stuck in his throat, choking him. It felt wrong, saying it like this. Hajime was reserved for drunken long-distance phone calls, quiet whispers while alone at night.

Hearing his given name seemed to make Iwaizumi even angrier. He grabbed Oikawa’s hand, roughly, too roughly for a world class setter.

“You’re not coming back, Tohru. This is why.” Iwaizumi shoved Oikawa’s hand into his face, forcing him to look at the gold band on his ring finger. “And this,” Iwaizumi hissed, grabbing the Argentinian flag on Oikawa’s chest, the golden sun’s mocking face clenched in his fist.

“Iwa-chan, I didn’t mean…”

“That night, after our last game together, I told you to keep moving forward without hesitation.” Iwaizumi looked at the hand he was still holding, running his fingers over the cold metal of Oikawa’s wedding ring, “But you’re always hesitating. Every time I think you’ve moved on, you look back at me, and I think I might have a chance.”

Oikawa didn’t know what to say. He was hesitating once again. Iwaizumi was still looking at the ring on his finger, softly mumbling, “This would have been silver if it’d been me. It suits you better.” Oikawa felt lips softly pressing against the knuckles of his left hand. "Good luck Tohru. We're still going to beat you." Before Oikawa could react, Iwaizumi was gone.

* * *

“I’m staying in Argentina.”

“But we agreed to go back to Japan together.”

“I still haven’t done enough.”

* * *

“Congratulations on your new position, Iwa-chan.”

“When are you coming back so I can fix your crappy knee, Crappykawa?”

“Iwa-chan is the best at taking care of me!”

* * *

“When are you coming back home, Shittykawa?”

“I’ve signed for another season.”

“Just one?”

“Just one.”

* * *

“Iwa-chan, it’s nothing to worry about.”

“I saw the videos Trashykawa, your knee is busted again.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to come home soon so Iwa-chan can take care of me!”

* * *

"Oikawa. Japan doesn't allow dual citizenship. What do you think you're doing?" 

"It's what I have to do, Iwa-chan." 

"You won't be able to come home." 

"It's what I have to do." 

* * *

“Congratulations, Oikawa. You should have told me earlier. When sober.”

“It will help me get on the national team. Shows them I’m committed to being Argentinian.”

“You’re drunk. That’s no way to talk about getting married.”

“I wish it were you, Hajime.”

“When will you let me go, Tohru?”

**Author's Note:**

> I know everyone is like look at that spicy rival dynamic but Oikawa lives in Argentina permanently now which is very very far from Japan which doesn't even allow dual citizenship.  
> Argentine women are very beautiful.  
> Iwaoi is dead :(
> 
> Anyways... please let me know what you think :)


End file.
